Carly Greer and the Hooch rock the Belmont Correctional Institution
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ST. CLAIRSVILLE - History was made on Wednesday as Carly Greer and the Hooch became the first band to perform inside the Belmont Correctional Institution in the facility’s history.
BCI Warden Shelbie Smith said the idea came from seeing an advertisement for Greer last year. She then reached out to Greer asking if she would be interested in coming to the prison to perform for those incarcerated there. Greer agreed and, despite both parties wanting the concert to happen last year, neither side’s schedule aligned.
"We couldn’t make it happen, because she was really busy. And then I got wind that she’s on her way to Nashville, so I reached back out again, and she said, 'Hey, before I leave for Nashville, I’m going to come and do this for you,’" Smith said. "This is the first time Belmont’s ever had a star or a local concert on the yard."
She added that she believes that the concert is great for morale inside of the prison.
"I also think it’s good for us to be a part of the community and bring somebody local from the community," Smith said. "Today was a special day. It’s a special day for them, because we had breakfast in the morning, handed out sack lunches, so that everybody had an opportunity to come out and see her perform."
She added that she cannot thank Carly Greer and the Hooch for coming to perform for the incarcerated individuals and the staff at the prison.
"We’re just happy to have her, and we’re happy to make this moment in history," Smith said.
Jason Sublett, an inmate at BCI, added that the concert provides the individuals a sense of freedom and makes them feel like they're not in prison for a few hours.
"I’ve only been here for two months, and this is the second event that they’ve had, and it just steps us out of this environment, and kind of gives us a sense of freedom, and just gets our mind off the things in here, it’s great," Sublett said. "I just want to thank the staff members who all played a part in this to make this happen. I'm really appreciative."
BCI inmate Larry Purdy added that he's excited that the prison was able to put an event like this together.
"I’m a big fan of country music," Purdy said."And it gives us something to do, and gets us closer to being outside and being locked up. It's a beautiful thing."
Carly Greer and the Hooch weren't the only band to perform at the concert, a band consisting of incarcerated individuals called The Outsiders kicked the concert off.
The Outsiders competed in a battle of the bands with multiple bands inside of the prison with the winner getting to open for Greer.
"I’m so excited to hear them,” Greer said. “They’re called The Outsiders, which is one of my favorite books, so I’m so excited. I hear they’ve got a banjo and all that good stuff. They’re going to open, and then we are gonna put on a two-hour show of everything you can possibly think of — rock and roll, country, R&B. We’re gonna do it all."
She added that, like the prison, this is the first time that she's ever been involved with a concert such as Wednesday’s.
"It honestly gives me chills, actually, seeing all of these guys coming in and waving and being so excited just to have something done for them to give them an escape for a second," Greer said. "I want this to feel like they’re at Woodstock, so I hope that they come away with something good from it."